A Theory of Our Moral Duties — During a formal debate with my friends about this question “What is the simple, coherent, and meaningful aim that we should commit our whole lives toward fulfilling?” I proposed the following theory as part of my answer: (Written 11/27/22) The Noblesse Oblige The Noblesse Oblige is a duty-centric worldview and ethic that aims at paying…

How Suzan Wolf Doesn’t Take Her Theory of Meaning and Morality Far Enough — (Written 12/12/2021) Introduction: In her essay, Suzan Wolf offers a defense of “Bernard Williams’ critique of impartial morality” (Wolf 1997, 299). Williams’ argument is that when morality comes into conflict with something that someone identifies as an essential part of their life, it cannot be expected for morality to win. Wolf, addressing a…

Published by Dialogue, the official journal of Phi Sigma Tau, the International Honor Society for Philosophy — Introduction Judith Jarvis Thomson and Margaret Little both conclude that abortion is permissible, and they both address the issue from within a similar framework, that of duty/responsibility (which will be used interchangeably throughout this essay), but they focus on somewhat different arguments. Jarvis Thomson begins her case by granting fetuses a…

A Tale of Four Great Powers, Three Civilizations, Two Rivals, and One Hegemon — (Written 7/14/22) 1. Introduction Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has challenged several modern assumptions about the nature and foundations of the international system. First, that international law can constrain revisionist states. Second, that nuclear war cannot be won. And third, that culture and ideology do not matter as much as economics and security. In this…

Or Living Constitutionalism. Democracy can’t have both. — Living Constitutionalism is the judicial philosophy that the Constitution should be interpreted with regard to the current culture, as understood through public opinion. This stance argues that the Consitution was written in a different time and culture when people had different ideas about what laws were just and unjust. These…

A Test of Defensive Deterrence — Introduction Switzerland has acted as a neutral state since 1516, with the exception of the Napoleonic Wars between 1798 and 1815. At the Congress of Vienna on November 20, 1815, Austria, Britain, France, Portugal, Prussia, and Russia all agreed to recognize Swiss neutrality,¹ a commitment that has endured despite the two…

The Moral System Without Morals — Utilitarianism: “the doctrine that actions are right if they are useful or for the benefit of a majority” (Oxford Languages). Two utilitarian philosophers walk into a bar: What is useful? Many things are useful. Ok, who decides which things are relevantly useful? Well, it can’t be you, or me, cause…

If there were there would be no rights at all — There are two different ways people talk about rights, and many different terms used to describe them. On one side there are natural rights, liberty rights, and negative rights; on the other there are positive rights and claim rights. …

I swear that, according to my ability and judgment, I will keep this Oath and this stipulation — to pursue truth above all else and no matter what. I will never claim to know the truth for certain, yet I will only act upon what I believe to be true. …